// the conformists' manifesto

Conformists

“Consciously different”

You can’t just be different- you need to be consciously different.

Founders:

• Dain Sisam
• Zipho 'Tony' Gum
• Diana Musoni
• Oboitshepo Tladi

We believe in educating ourselves as the youth of the world but primarily the youth of South Africa about thinking out of the box and being aware of who we are, our talents and our thoughts by embracing a movement away from being the person society tells us to be. We are urging ourselves to think out the box in order to value what is inside the box- the box being you. We aim to emphasize the ability to be active within your authentic self in order to be truly active with your peers.

We want to live in a society where minds are constantly being engaged and stretched, where rules of art are courageously being broken, where the youth begin to expose each other in order to witness our growth and where we start to educate each other to be aware of the changes we are going through to make a difference in our society.  We believe the youth have a voice that should definitely be heard. Therefore through our right of free speech, we need to liberate our creativity because by doing this we grab hold of our art, our roots and become aware of the power we have to change the world.

As the youth we want to make a stand of recognition that now is the time to make a difference in the way we think and interact with the world around us. We are seeking to inspire a group of thinkers and thought provokers who are not afraid to express their opinions but to also be aware of the responsibility they have as the youth to be the future innovators, philosophers, poets, artists, photographers, bloggers and singers who have a vision of truth and transparency.  Mediocre mind-sets should be altered and a generation of youngsters who are prepared to express their art to the world should be born.

Conforming is eliminating yourself by embracing everything other than who you are and it’s a lack of imagination therefore this movement attacks the act of conforming in every aspect by showcasing the free art expressions and thoughts of today’s youth- in other words this movement is for the youth to attack themselves with new thoughts and ideas of where they would like to see themselves in the present and future life of the country. It is easy-nobody is perfect therefore our art is empowered by our imperfections. So we need to act on the instinct of liberating our art and thought. The rights and responsibilities of freedom of expression should come to play as the youth begin to embrace their freedom to choose to be whatever they want to be.

To take part in the Conformist Movement three simple things are required;

1. Be a creative and embrace your creativity.
2. Show case this creativity via blogs, stage shows or whichever way possible.
3. Keep in touch with us and inform us about your ideas, thoughts and projects on educating your peers on exactly what you think being consciously different means.

One thing we know for sure is that as creative’s, we cannot opt for being normal. Therefore we cannot allow for the thoughts and art of our peers to go unheard or unnoticed. We shall no longer allow the desks we sit in to destroy our creative-intelligence or to block any flow of mystical madness that brews within our art because unlike some people we don’t want to be mathematicians- we are artists! Our art is authentic and forces us to be real, causing the artist to be conscious of their difference.

By joining this movement you are embarking on a constant journey to discover yourself because the only possible way forward to self-discovery is through conforming TO YOURSELF. To conclude, be yourself, be your art, act on instinct and FEEL because you cannot just be different- you need to be consciously different.

#c